Research

Purification of Water by Using Electrolysis

Finding a simple and efficient way to purify water can benefit many countries, such as third-world countries, which do not readily have access to clean and safe drinking water. Much of their water is riddled with many harmful disease-causing bacteria, so by being able to clean water and kill the harmful bacteria, it can make these places safer and prevent diseases from harming large amounts of people. This experiment was done to determine the effect of amperage on three different types of water: tap, pond, and salt. This was done by testing the percent transmittance of light through a test tube of water using a spectrometer, then shocking the water and checking the percent transmittance after, and finding the difference. It was hypothesized that the salt would have the greatest difference in percent transmittance after the experimentation. A small test tube with a certain type of water, tap, pond or salt, which had been in an incubator with Escherichia coli, or E. coli,for a few days prior, was placed in a spectrometer to find the initial percent transmittance of light. Then, the water went into a titration burette and was dripped between two screws attached to a piece of wood. The screws were then connected to two batteries with wires in a parallel circuit. After the water was shocked, it was put back in the spectrometer to find the final percent transmittance of light. The results reveal that the there was a significant difference between the percent transmittance before and after. It also conveys the fact that the salt water had the most significant effect, proving the hypothesis.